Creating a new Local Immigration Partnership may seem like a significant undertaking. Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (formerly Citizenship and Immigration Canada) produced a Local Immigration Partnership Handbook in August 2013 with some suggestions on how to get a LIP started.
To begin, it is important to note the vital role of community engagement in establishing creditability and trust with partners with aligned interests and diverse stakeholders. A LIP coordinator(s) should be retained to support coordination and relationship building.
1. Establish the partnership council
2. Create terms of reference of the partnership council
3. Conduct research and establish a local settlement strategy to be implemented over 3- 5 years
4. Develop an annual action plan to address local priorities
5. Report on the implementation and execution of the action plan annually
The creation of working groups is vital to moving projects forward and necessary for the action plan implementation. Depending on the size of the partnership council, a steering or executive committee can be selected via nominations process to aid with high level decision making.
Who Should Hold the Contribution Agreements (CA)?
It is imperative to consider local context realities and nuances when sourcing a CA holder. There have been a variety of configurations ranging from CAs being housed by municipal entities to community partnerships or partnerships between the two that have proven successful. Further examine examples of mature LIPs or Zips in your regional or provincial jurisdiction for more details.